Top 132 Quotes & Sayings by Katherine Paterson - Page 3

Teachers have almost stopped reading aloud to their classes because of the pressure of testing and tight curricula, but it is the books we read together and talk about together that bring us closer together.

What I really want to do is to write a hilarious farce.

More than fifty years ago Sputnik dramatically raised the nation's awareness of what was lacking in science and math education in America. What we need to wake people up to now is the crisis in imagination and concern for the greater good.

What we need to wake people up to now is the crisis in imagination and concern for the greater good. We have no idea what the next ten years, much less the next fifty years, will demand of the coming generation. What we do know is that unless we have a people prepared and eager to meet those crises creatively and compassionately, there is not much hope for this poor old planet of ours.

I woke up one morning and realized that what I wanted to say to everyone - children, young people, adults - was: Read for your life.

Trouble can always be borne when it is shared.

Since my first novel was rescued from a slush pile, it makes me sad that most publishing houses no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts. Nor are many willing to take chances on novels that are not deemed immediately "marketable."

I'm sure my first nine years have had a powerful influence on the kind of books I write.

We book people are always preaching about reading aloud to children, but unless you do, you can't realize how it enriches family life.

We can read the paper or current magazines and learn about national and world events, think about controversial subjects, learn how to disagree respectfully, and how, finally, to act on our convictions. We can read for pure delight, and if we do this as a family or classroom or other group we can build wonderful memories.

The children's book world has given me wonderful friendships and an unbelievably rich life.

We all learn here by the honorable path of horrible mistakes.